{"id":1835,"date":"2020-01-31T17:28:27","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T17:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=food&p=1835"},"modified":"2020-06-26T16:58:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-26T16:58:03","slug":"vegan-crisps","status":"publish","type":"food","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/food-drink\/vegan-crisps\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Crisps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SelectionWith the crisp market in the United Kingdom worth over \u00a31 billion a year, it is understandable that so many companies want to grab their piece of it. But which crisps are vegan friendly? In this article, we\u2019ll give a detailed (and we do mean detailed<\/em>!) guide showing the brands and flavours of vegan-friendly crisps available in the UK.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve focussed on the most popular brands (including the supermarket own-brand options) in this article, though there are plenty of niche vegan-friendly crisp brands out there that can be found at various vegan-focussed supermarkets (like TheVeganKind Supermarket) and smaller local health shops.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> The crisps in this article we identify are vegan do not contain any animals ingredients based on the best information at the time of writing. As ever, information is subject to change. In addition, some may have been manufactured in factories that handle milk or other animal products.<\/div>\n

Vegan-Friendly Crisps by Brand<\/h2>\n

Here we\u2019ll present the best vegan-friendly crisps based on the most popular crisps brands in the UK, including the own-brand versions from the main supermarkets. Let\u2019s first run through the brands we\u2019re covering, then we\u2019ll go into a lot more detail for each.<\/p>\n

Jump To:<\/strong> Walkers<\/a> |\u00a0Doritos<\/a> |\u00a0Pringles<\/a> |\u00a0Kettle Foods Inc<\/a> |\u00a0KP Snacks<\/a> |\u00a0Golden Wonder<\/a> |\u00a0Tesco<\/a> |\u00a0Morrisons<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Asda<\/a> |\u00a0Sainsbury\u2019s<\/a> |\u00a0Waitrose<\/a> | Aldi<\/a><\/p>\n

Walkers \u2013 Are Walker\u2019s Crisps Vegan?<\/h3>\n

\"Walkers<\/p>\n

One of the most famous crisp brands in the world, Leicester-based Walkers have been going strong since 1948. In 1978 they were purchased by Frito-Lay, a division of the food and drink giant PepsiCo.<\/p>\n

The crisp brands that fall directly under the Walkers umbrella include the following: Walkers Crisps, Walkers Oven Baked, Walkers Max, Walkers Hint of Salt, Walkers Poppables, Walkers Bugles, Walkers Mixups, Walkers Tear \u2018n\u2019 Share, Walkers Crinkles, Monster Munch, Wotsits, Quavers, French Fries, Squares, Walkers Delo, Sunbites, and Sensations. We\u2019ll go through each of those below and assess their vegan credentials.<\/p>\n

Note that at the time of writing all crisps from Walkers are made in factories that handle milk, which could be a problem for some vegans, and certainly for anyone with a severe milk allergy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Crisp Name\/Flavour<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Walkers Crisps<\/td>\nThe archetypal crisp against which all others are judged, there have been some weird and wonderful flavours of Walkers Crisps over the years (Cajun Squirrel anyone?), alongside the timeless classics.<\/p>\n

Here are the vegan-friendly flavours from the current options in this classic range of crisps: Ready Salted, Salt & Vinegar, Prawn Cocktail (see below<\/a>), Worcester Sauce, Pickled Onion, Roast Chicken (seriously!), and Marmite (see below<\/a>)<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Marmite Crisps<\/td>\nWhether you love it or hate it, there is no doubt that Marmite<\/a>\u00a0is something of a wonder food for vegans because it contains much-needed B vitamins that are not present in many vegan foods.<\/p>\n

So it stands to reason that these Marmite-flavoured crisps from Walkers are also vegan (cross-contamination risk aside), and also very tasty (if you are a lover, of course!). These are so good we thought they deserved their own entry in the table.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Prawn Cocktail Crisps<\/td>\nShock horror: there are no prawns in Walkers Prawn Cocktail crisps! The \u2018Prawn Cocktail Seasoning\u2019 they use is actually a combination of a range of ingredients including sugar, salt, citric acid, potassium chloride, dried yeast<\/a> and dried onion.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oven Baked Crisps<\/td>\nLighter and with less fat than the conventional Walkers crisps, the Oven Baked range take some getting used to for crisp fiends, but they are worth the effort.<\/p>\n

The following flavours of the Walkers Oven Baked range of crisps are vegan friendly (aside from the milk cross-contamination issue): Sea Salt and Sticky Barbecue.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Oven Baked With Veg<\/td>\nAvailable at the time of writing in two flavours (Beetroot with Sweet Chilli Jam, or Sweet Potato with Paprika), these have significantly less fat than other options in the veg crisp niche (for example, the Beetroot and Sweet Chilli Jam crisps have 14g of fat per 100g, compared to around 32g of fat per 100g of the Tyrells Mixed Root Vegetable Crisps. These aren\u2019t quite as nice though!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Crinkles Simply Salted Crisps<\/td>\nCrinkles only come in two flavours at the time writing. The Simply Salted flavour<\/em>\u00a0is vegan<\/em>, while the Cheese & Onion is not.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Squares<\/td>\nFor novelty value, crisps that are square do give a few seconds of entertainment, but they are not particularly satisfying beyond that. The Salt & Vinegar Squares and the Ready Salted Squares are vegan friendly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Salt & Shake Crisps<\/td>\nNow branded as Walkers, though previously a mainstay of Smith\u2019s, the rather novel Salt & Shake concept was particularly popular in the days before parents realised that encouraging kids to put extra salt on their crisps maybe wasn\u2019t a great idea. Still enjoying a small niche market, there is little between these and the Tesco version (other than the price).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hint of Salt Natural Sea Salt Crisps<\/td>\nWith a little less salt than the standard Ready Salted crisps, these will appeal to those who care about such things. They taste pretty similar.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Crisps<\/td>\nThese deep-ridged crisps that pack as satisfying a crunch as almost any other crisp out there come in a range of flavours, with the following being fine for vegans (who don\u2019t mind the risk of cross-contamination with milk): XXL Chicken & Chorizo, Original Sea Salt, Bold BBQ Ribs, Punchy Paprika, and Chilli & Lime.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Deli<\/td>\nThe Deli range from Walkers is their attempt to leapfrog the likes of Tyrells and Kettle Chips and aim squarely at the Waitrose crowd. They\u2019re not too bad, despite essentially being a thicker and more flavoursome version of Squares.<\/p>\n

The Deli flavours that are vegan friendly are: Mediterranean Balsamic Vinegar, Roasted Garlic & Mediterranean Herbs (Pita Chips), and Anglesey Sea Salt.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Sunbites<\/td>\nMade with three wholegrains (corn, wheat and oats), the Sunbites range offer a fair amount of fibre and protein, as well as a different texture to conventional crisps that appeal to many.<\/p>\n

Here are the vegan-friendly flavours in the range: Sun Ripened Sweet Chilli, and Lightly Sea Salted.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Sensations<\/td>\nA class above the standard Walkers crisps, these have a premium feel to them, with fancy flavours to match.<\/p>\n

Here are the vegan-friendly options: Onion & Balsamic Vinegar and Lime & Coriander Chutney Poppadoms.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Note that Walkers add and remove flavours and make changes to their ranges fairly regularly so if you stumble across any flavours not mentioned in the vegan-friendly table or the list of those to avoid, just check the ingredients. Milk is always marked in bold in lists of ingredients in the UK and that is the main thing to watch out for in Walkers crisps.<\/div>\n

Which Walkers Crisp Flavours Are NOT Vegan?<\/h4>\n
\"Sadly
Sadly none of the Monster Munch range are vegan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Walkers are the best-selling crisp brand in the UK (based on the most recent figures in 2019 provided by Nielsen), we have decided to make things simple and also include the crisps they offer that are not<\/em> vegan<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Walkers fans have plenty to go on based on the above table of vegan-friendly Walkers crisps (assuming the vegans in question are fine with milk products being handled in the same factory). To be on the safe side, and for those who are interested, here are the main Walkers crisps that are not vegan based on the inclusion of animal-derived ingredients.<\/p>\n